2016 is looking to be another big year for Netflix. Rumor has it that the second season of their sensationalDaredevilseries will premiere againstZack Snyder’s anticipatedBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the streaming service is also set to premiereLuke Cage, the company’s latest Marvel project, andJudd Apatow’sLove. That’s not even bringing up the upcoming fourth season ofHouse of Cards, and the anticipated premieres of films such asDavid Michod’sWar MachineandCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. There’s more on the horizon, and today brought news, from THR, that Netflix has expanded its film and television deal with DreamWorks Animation.
The deal looks to include further episodes ofThe Adventures of Puss in BootsandDinotrux, amongst other animated series; the streaming service recently premieredDawn of the Croods, an extension of the DreamWorks Animation filmThe Croods, which was released last year. The more fascinating element of the expanded deal, however, are the two new series that will be produced under the DreamWorks banner for Netflix. First and foremost, there’sTrollhunters, which follows two young kids who discover a world of trolls under their town, which will be overseen by the greatGuillermo del Toro, who had an excellent 2015 with the release of the undervaluedCrimson Peak. The deal will also include a “reimagining” of the belovedVoltronseries, which focuses on titanic robots who battle in a futuristic world.
The deal looks to be a lead-up to the release ofKung Fu Panda 3, which premieres in theaters nationwide later this month. These releases will hopefully give a boost to DreamWorks Animation in 2016, as 2015 saw a slew of problems for the company - lay-offs and the shuttering of their Northern California operations. Mind you, their latest film,Home, landed at 14th place on the domestic box-office list for 2015. We’ll have to see aboutKung Fu Panda 3, but a new project from del Toro has the possibility to snag both children and adult audiences for Netflix, which could give DreamWorks Animation the shot in the arm they’re looking for.
